Percussion Ensemble music

Carnifal was commissioned by Caerphilly Music Service in 2011 to be performed by their county percussion ensemble and samba band at St David’s Hall, Cardiff. It is scored for 7 percussionists, bass guitar and optional piano but any extra players can double the tenor drum or bass drum parts. The samba band can be of any size.

Part One of Carnifal can also be played as a stand-alone concert piece without the presence of a samba band.

Instrumentation:
Glockenspiel
Xylophone
Marimba
Tenor Drum (1 or more players)
Bass Drum (1 or more players)
Timpani
Piano (optional)
Bass Guitar
Samba Band (Part Two only)

Duration: 6 minutes

Price: £19.95

Haberdashery was commissioned by Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools in 2009 to be performed by their junior percussion ensemble during a summer tour to France.

The minimum number of players required is six. If extra players are available they should be distributed evenly between the two conga parts.

There are two versions of the timpani part included; one for three drums and one for two. The two drum version is included solely for ensembles that don’t have access to a third drum. The two versions should not be played together.

Instrumentation:
Timpani
Bongos
Congas
Snare Drum
Floor Tom

Duration: 3 minutes

Price: £12.95

Breakdown is a fusion of unremitting rhythm and gritty rock for five or more players. The drum kit and timpani parts are to be played by individuals and the tom-tom part can be played by as many players as you have in your ensemble.

Instrumentation:
Player 1 - Tom-tom (part should be doubled by extra players)
Player 2 - Timpani
Player 3 - Drum Kit
Player 4 - Tambourine, Tam-tam

Duration: 3 minutes

Price: £14.95

Anitra's Dance is the third of four pieces in Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No. 1. This arrangement by Nick Baron is for four tuned percussion instruments and optional triangle.

Instrumentation:
Player 1: Marimba (4 octave) or Xylophone
Player 2: Marimba (4 octave) or Vibraphone
Player 3: Marimba (4 octave)
Player 4: Marimba (4.3 octave)
Player 5 (optional): Triangle

Duration: 4 minutes

Price: £13.95

Reasons was commissioned by Fusion Percussion Ensemble in 2008 and premiered during a concert at The Cathedral School, Llandaff later the same year. The piece is in two main sections; the first is based around a drum line and the second uses tuned percussion instruments and drum kit.

Instrumentation:
Player 1 - Tom-tom (high pitch), Vibraphone
Player 2 - Tom-tom (medium pitch), Glockenspiel, Xylophone
Player 3 - Tom-tom (low pitch), Drum Kit
Player 4 - Tam-tam, Piccolo Snare Drum, Marimba (4.3 octave)

Duration: 8 minutes

Price: £19.95

The dununba is a traditional dance from the Maninka ethnic group, originating in the Hamana, in the Kouroussa region of Upper Guinea.

It is essentially a fertility dance, traditionally performed by young men who use it to display to their betrothed and the other important people of the community their vitality and bravery. It is a violent and athletic dance involving risky stunts, although in some areas it is practiced more peacefully. Women participate with their own roles too. There are many different variations of the dununba rhythm; this piece uses two.

The goal of this piece was a cross-cultural fusion; a traditional Guinea dance combined with octatonicism, straight from the harmonic language of twentieth-century Western music. As such, in the music there are moments of pure rhythm to bookend the music, with an extensive section of melodic development in the centre, based on chord clusters and pitches from the octatonic scale (D, E, F, G, Ab, Bb, B, C#).

This music should be played frenetically and aggressively and, especially in the improvisation section, there should be a feeling of barely maintained control.

Instrumentation:
Player 1 - Claves, 2 Timpani, Guiro, Marimba
Player 2 - 3 Tom-Toms, Xylophone, Vibraphone
Player 3 - Bass Drum, 3 Temple Blocks, Marimba
Player 4 - Tam-Tam, 3 Tom-Toms, Glockenspiel, Congas

Duration: 5 minutes

Vocal Score
Price: £14.95

This lively concert piece for percussion duo was originally written for two snare drums but can alternatively be played on tom toms or tenor drums.

Instrumentation:
Two snare drums

Duration: 3 minutes

Price: £9.95

This lively concert piece for percussion ensemble is scored for three snare drums. It was written for the percussion section of Haberdashers Monmouth School Symphonic Winds’ tour to Italy in 2010.

Instrumentation:
Three snare drums

Duration: 2 minutes

Price: £12.95

Originally written for a university portfolio in 1998, Mix ‘n’ Match was revised in 2008 for the Greater Gwent Percussion Ensemble to perform in a concert at St. David’s Hall, Cardiff. Scored for two marimbas with two players on each the main idea behind the composition was to explore the marimba’s ability to act as a melodic, rhythmic and harmonic vehicle. The piece consists of a number of short ideas which are initially overlapped by the players and subsequently passed around the different ranges for development. The opening chords return to bookend the work. Although the dynamics are equal throughout it is important that the melodic lines are brought to the forefront.

Instrumentation:
2 marimbas (2 players on each)

Duration: 3 minutes

Price: £14.95

Mike Pickering wrote Child's Play for a composition workshop with the acclaimed Backbeat percussion quartet in 2004. Originally written for two players it has since been expanded to be performed by four players on two marimbas. The piece is centered around an Indonesian gamelan-inspired motif which is developed throughout in a minimalist style.

Instrumentation:
Four players sharing two marimbas (4.3 octave)

Duration: 3 minutes

Price: £14.95

Hydrophobia is a unique water-based work for four percussionists. Scored for every day kitchen products this fun piece can add variety to any percussion ensemble programme.

Instrumentation:
Player 1 - 5 plastic bowls, 5 tuned glasses, tuning fork
Player 2 - 5 kitchen pans, 5 tuned glasses, tuning fork
Player 3 - Rubber pipe, Copper pipe, 5 tuned glasses, tuning fork
Player 4 - 2 cups, 5 tuned glasses, tuning fork

Duration: 7 minutes

Price: £14.95

A detailed concert piece for percussion quartet. Written for four snare drums of different pitches this technically challenging piece of medium difficulty is an ideal concert opener for a group of performers of Grade 5 standard and above.

Instrumentation:
Player 1 - Snare Drum (high pitch)
Player 2 - Snare Drum (medium-high pitch)
Player 3 - Snare Drum (medium-low pitch)
Player 4 - Snare Drum (low pitch)

Duration: 3 minutes

Price: £14.95

Tom’s Foolery is written for four players playing one tom tom and one cowbell each. An impressive concert item that rattles along in 6/8 and 2/4 with much dynamic contrast highlighting interwoven melodies across the cowbells. Suitable for players of Grade 5 upwards.

Instrumentation:
Player 1 - Tom-tom (high pitch), Cowbell (high pitch)
Player 2 - Tom-tom (medium-high pitch), Cowbell (medium-high pitch)
Player 3 - Tom-tom (medium-low pitch), Cowbell (medium-low pitch)
Player 4 - Tom-tom (low pitch), Cowbell (low pitch)

Duration: 3 minutes

Price: £14.95

Three Movements for Two Percussionists is exactly that...three separate movements each with their own character, which can be played together or as separate entities.

The work also lends itself to lower ability ensembles by splitting the pitched and unpitched instruments to create a larger ensemble.

Instrumentation:
2 Marimbas
2 Pedal Bass Drums
2 Hi-Hats
6 Toms
2 Suspended Cymbals
Chinese Cymbal
Vibraphone
2 Concert Bass Drums
2 Boomwhackers (pitched in A)
Crotales
2 Tam-Tams
Claves
Congas
Temple Blocks

Price: £14.95

A percussion ensemble work for six players, with an option to perform either on samba instruments or traditional percussion instruments. Two performance layouts are possible, either using a single central surdo (or bass drum) for all of the players or with the players having a surdo each.

Instrumentation:
Player 1 - Agogo bells, Guiro, Timbales, Triangle, Surdo
Player 2 - Cabasa, Tambourim, Cowbell, Surdo
Player 3 - Cowbell, Chocola (or shaker), Triangle, Tambourim, Surdo
Player 4 - Tambourim, Claves, Agogo Bells, Guiro, Surdo
Player 5 - Congas, Claves, Maracas
Player 6 - Surdo, Samba Whistle

Duration: 5 minutes

Price: £19.95

An outstanding work for 11-piece percussion ensemble. The piece takes its name from a constellation lying in the milky way on the celestial equator. The piece reflects this with styles of music from both above and below the equator.

Instrumentation:
Player 1 - Timpani, Cowbell
Player 2 - 4 Tom-toms, Triangle, Vibraslap, Tam-tam (small)
Player 3 - Crotales, Bongos
Player 4 - Glockenspiel, Claves
Player 5 - Vibraphone, Agogo Bells
Player 6 - Xylophone, Guiro, Temple Blocks
Player 7 - Marimba, Chocola (or shaker), Samba Whistle
Player 8 - Snare Drum, Tenor Drum, 2 Wood Blocks, Small Suspended Cymbal (14" - 16")
Player 9 - Deep Snare Drum (or Field Drum), Large Suspended Cymbal, Cabasa, Hi-Hat
Player 10 - Tam-tam (large), Maracas, Guiro, Castanets
Player 11 - Bass Drum, Congas (pair), Maracas

Duration: 9 minutes

Price: £24.95

A very popular piece for percussion duo. As performed by Crossfire Percussion Duo.

Instrumentation:
Player 1 – Four tom-toms (high pitch)
Player 2 – Four tom-toms (low pitch)

Duration: 2 minutes

Price: £12.95

A contemporary percussion duet for a range of instruments including marimba, vibraphone and toms. Originally written for a collaboration with a community dance group, the work was designed to combine live music and contemporary dance. Equally effective as a music-only performance.

Instrumentation:
Player 1: Claves, Marimba, Vibraphone, Singing Bowls, 3 Toms
Player 2: Polyblocks, Bamboo Chimes, Singing Bowls, 3 Thai Gongs, Tam-Tam, Rainstick

Price: £17.95